


No Scroll and Nothing to Offer

by Ayzbraiker



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Sad Varian (Disney), Varian Angst (Disney), Varian Has Issues (Disney), Varian Needs a Hug (Disney)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayzbraiker/pseuds/Ayzbraiker
Summary: Cass took the scroll, and Varian's left to dangle in a cage hundreds of feet from the ground.The ending really shouldn't be happy
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74





	No Scroll and Nothing to Offer

**Author's Note:**

> A twist.  
> If Varian didn't have answers, would Eugene risk crawling out to get to him?  
> Warning: Character death.
> 
> (Edited version. Beta read by the wonderful neet off discord)

Varian let out a shaky chuckle. His hopeless situation could have been the butt of a sick joke. The alchemist was suspended hundreds of feet in the air, and held in a cold case. Its material was the spawn of his nightmares. He had nothing in his gloved hands to drag his mind from the pain that rang in his chest. A constant misery and the memory of a recent failure.

He tried to reason with her. He tried to break through her walls, the fog in her mind that pushed her further away. He wanted to find something, a spark, a hint, anything. He wanted to help her somehow, but there was nothing. No signs of her changing her mind. Instead, Cass took his equipment and the scroll, and he was left dangling, broken down and alone. The boy had nothing but the deafening howl of the wind against his ears.

Through the wind, he almost missed it. " _Varian_!" 

Varian scrambled to his knees, remarkably out of breath. It was the princess! The hero of the story! _She came_. The boy nearly cheered. _He was saved!_

"I'm alright!" He called back, a wet grin on his face.

"Hang in there kid!" Was the response, the princess and her partner lingered at the opening. They seemed to be discussing their options. They hugged, coming to a happy conclusion.

He held his breath as they waved and walked away. His throat throbbed with an intangible weight.

_Stupid_. What did he expect? That Eugene, the future first man, would risk crawling out on the twisted stone arm? It see a warm, caring face meeting him from the other side of his restraints? For a smile of reassurance, telling him everything was going to be fine? The princess was on a mission, but it wasn't one of rescue. There was no time to waste. She needed all the support she could get, that's why she had Eugene. He could understand that. There was a threat, and the threat had to be dealt with first. Varian could wait. He was fine.

" _It's fine."_

His breath hitched.

Why did it hurt so bad?

The Princess hung like heavy laundry against the black stone wall. Black unearthly spears pinned her up by her shoulders and hair, she struggled fruitlessly. Fighting against unbreakable rocks that were dark and unforgiving, sharp as needles yet thick as trees.

The room tensed as an icy gust of wind circled the room. From it, an eerie, gleeful cackle cracked through the tower. There were shouts. Rapunzel's soon to be husband called out to her, but all her focus was set on Cassandra. Her past best friend looked scared and confused. Rapunzel needed to help her right then. 

Debris was flying in all directions, and in the chaos, the wind picked up a sack, and sent it flying straight at her chest. Rapunzel grasped it quickly. One hand pulled at her hair fighting against the tension that tugged painfully at her scalp. The other dug into the alchemist's bag, retrieving a scroll.

_Use the sun to see the sun,_ chanted in her ear. Her hair glowed, brightly shedding light on the parchment. Ancient words were revealed. Rapunzel began to read.

Varian was left in the side lines. Something important, something _greater_ than him was going on within the walls of the tower that held him in the sky like a prize. He hugged himself, clenching his teeth.

The teen was upset he had to wait before getting rescued, thoughts questioning his self worth did cartwheels in his hair, but he was quick to shut them down. 

_"The princess cares. She'll get you out when she can."_

The pain blossomed from the bruising scattered across his chest. He was struggling to deal with them. They _hurt,_ but even with each throb he couldn't believe Cass had actually attacked him. _She wasn't like that._ She didn't _mean_ to _._

With pain or none, he was still going to cheer on his side of the battle, despite being unable to spectate.

Flashes of blue and yellow broke through the cracks of the tower. Varian longed to see what was happening. He needed to be there, even though there was no doubt he'd get in the way. No alchemy, no skill, he was probably more helpful sitting quietly in his cage than he was messing up any plan they had. That in mind, his skin still itched to support his friends. He was useless, but he still wanted to help, damn it.

An explosion called out, and his prison shook. His last flicker of hope fizzled out. He flinched. The bridge connecting him to the tower cracked from the shock. He watched, wide eyed, as the tower began to break apart. Cassandra was defeated and his bridge snapped. 

Frantic, he grabbed at the black jagged bars still intact and holding him in. His skin danced and his heart clashed in his ears. Maybe, _just maybe_ , the black encasement would break his fall and save his life. "Oh please, oh please, _oh please_ , " He begged to no one. He was going to die. 

Varian latched on for dear life. His fingers were stiff, and they ached from his harsh desperate grip on the bars. From clenched eyes, pitiful tears crawled their way up the sides of his temple, flowing up with the change of gravity. 

It was then when the bars around him started to crumble. His hands clenched over empty fists. His heart sunk deeper in his chest. Now with nothing to protect him, Varian was plummeting through open air. Unheard sobs wretched his body.

What would Dad think of him? His son dying in such a pathetic way? Falling from the sky and landing in the middle of the woods... No doubt, he'd shake his head sadly.

He would never live to help his father in the fields again. He'd never get the promised riding lessons, he was once thrilled about. The song he was writing would never ever be heard on a piano. He would never again feel the fur of his best and most loyal friend brush against his face. 

He weeped against the rushing wind. The push of air resisted under his flailing body, as if it was trying to numb his fall. The warm yet also crisp air shifted and dried his tears. The refreshing nothingness would be his last embrace. Varian closed his eyes. It was a comforting feeling. Heart was aching, his trust was cracked and confused, but there were worse ways to go. 

"It's okay, Blondie. There was nothing we could do to save him." Cupcake in hand, the man pulled his love closer. "The kingdom is safe for now. That's what's important."

"You're right," she admitted, somber. "We won, and he'd be happy for us." Her eyes twinkled in gratitude and accepted the small, pink treat. "Thanks Eugene, I needed this," the sad note passed. "I’m worried about Cass. Do you think she’ll be okay?" 

“Please, knowing that woman, she is more likely to be scaring off any danger than she is getting hurt. Don’t worry, we’ll have our favorite soul deprived, icy lady back, soon enough.”

The princess sighed openly, "I can't wait for this to be over. Then everything can go back to the way things should."

"I dunno, getting smacked by Cass on a regular basis is something I could do without just for a little while longer. Maybe we should try holding it off until- let's say- next summer?"

That night there was laughter in the castle.

**Author's Note:**

> Boost this story [here](https://sbartdump.tumblr.com/post/616948711544750080/no-scroll-and-nothing-to-offer)


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